Tips for Weeknight Meal Prep
In many families, weeknights are jam-packed with homework, sports and activities. It can be hard to get a healthy meal on the table in-between. I’ve got some time-saving tips to streamline meal prep. My advice comes down to three top tips: plan ahead, embrace shortcuts and keep weeknight meals simple!
Plan, Shop and Chop on Weekends
Planning your menu in advance is one of the easiest ways to save time and money. You can limit food waste and cut down on last-minute trips to the store.
Go to the store for all of your ingredients and when you get home, spend an hour or two washing and prepping produce that you’ll need for meals and snacks. I like to store everything in glass storage containers with airtight lids. They make it easy to find everything quickly in the fridge.
Keep it Simple with Sheet Pan Meals
Weeknights are hectic enough without complicated meal preparations. Sheet Pan Meals have become wildly popular in the last few years and for good reason. When it comes to easy weeknight meals, it doesn’t get much simpler. For this type of meal you roast all of your ingredients on one large sheet pan. You can do anything from chicken fajitas to mini meatloaves to roast salmon and since you’re only using one pan, cleanup is a breeze.
If you’re looking for some inspiration, I’ve just created “Two Weeks of Sheets,” a free recipe collection featuring my 14 most popular sheet pan recipes. You can download the PDF file instantly by clicking here to sign up for my newsletter.
Save Time with Meal Kits and Subscriptions
Of course, some weeks are so crazy that meal planning and advance shopping are nearly impossible. For those weeks, we turn to our meal subscription service or supermarket dinner kits –they can save so much time and energy. I recently partnered with with Home Chef for a culinary project and our family has been using their subscription service ever since.
With the subscription service, you can choose meals you want to make and they send everything you need right to your door. The kits come with all of the ingredients and step-by-step instructions to make a great dinner in about 30 minutes. .
It’s been a fun way to get the kids to try new things and break out of the dinner rut. If you’re not ready to commit to a subscription, many grocery stores now offer their own meal kits that you can pick up right in store (including Home Chef).
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